Conventional trashcans generally require the use of a dustpan to manually collect materials and then place the materials into the can. This may require the user to bend or to simultaneously grapple with a broom, the dustpan, and the trashcan, which may be awkward and which may pose a challenge to a user who is physically impaired. In addition, various other operations of a conventional trashcan require manual operation, such as, for example, opening and closing of a lid that encloses the trashcan, monitoring the supply of trash bags available for use within the trashcan, or the purchase of additional trash bags.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved apparatus as well as related methods and compositions of matter that facilitate automatically the above operations as well as other operations described herein.